Explosive shell



W. M. SMITH.

EXPLOSIVE SHELL.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

UNITE TAT PATENT @FIQE.

WILLIAM M. SMITH, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA.

EXPLOSIVE SHELL.

Application filed August 29, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, 'inntur'lvl. SMITH. a citizen of the l'nited States.residing at Evansville. county of Yanderburg and State of Indiana. haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Explosive Shells, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to those explosive shells which are adapted to beset for explosion under the control of a time-mechanism.

My object is to provide a shell of the character set forth which will beprovided with a battery, a time-mechanism. and exploding means, allself-contained therewith by which the shell can be arranged, just priorto firing. so that it will be exploded b the tin'ie-mechanism at antuture time, according to the desire of the gunner.

My invention is not dependent on a fuse or the like but is solelycontrolled by a timeinechanism. self-contained therewith. which is onlyinserted in the shell just prior to firing. Consequently. my shell is tobe distinguished from those shells which are exploded by contact, or, bya fuse which burns at a predetermined rate.

In my invention, the gunner determines the exact time the shell is toexplode and then introduces and arranges the time-mechanism so that, atthe time determined upon, the time-mechanism will close an electriccircuit which includes the battery and cause the firing of a cap andthus explode the charge.

The invention is susceptible of modification and, consequently, theembodiment hereinafter described and which is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, is to be con-- sidered as illustrative, rather thanrestrictive, of the scope of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section;

Fig. 2 an end View;

Fig. 3 a section on line 3-3, Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 a section on line H,Fig. 1.

The bod 1 of the shell has a chamber 2 to receive t 1e char e. There isscrewed into the body at 3, a hollow nose 4 which also contains thecharge 5. In the other end of the shell is 'a chamber 6 in which fits anannular battery 7 whose contact springs are shown at 8 and 9, arrangeddiametrically thereof. A plug 10, which is screwed into the end of theshell at 11, bears upon a fiber gasket or washer 12 which bears on thebattery 7, thereby holding the battery in posi- Specification of LettersPa tent.

Patented Aug. 12, 1919.

Serial No. 188,822.

tion and providing a space 12 in which the controlling element of thetime-mechanism turns. The plug 10 is provided with spanner holes 13 sothat it may be readily screwed into the shell or removed therefrom.

A. detonating cap 1% is arranged so that it will explode the charge 5when said cap is fired. For the purpose of firing the cap there areprovided terminals 15 which extend through a fiber bushing 16 located ina hole in the partition 17 which separates the chamber 2 from thechamber 6. A. platinum wire 15 connects the terminals 15. Metal wires orstrips 18 are connected to the terminals 15 and are provided withcontacts 19 located adjacent the ends of the contact wires or springs 8,9.

The plug 10 is of annular form. Located inside the plug 10 is a clock orother timeiechanism 20 which is held securely by a plug 21 screwed intothe plug 10. Fiber gaskets 22 and 23. of annular "form, are interposedbetween the clock 20 and the plug 21. and between said clock and theshoulder 21 at the rear of the plug 10. The plug 21 has spanner holes 25so that it may be readily inserted or removed.

Secured to the hour hand arbor 26 of the clock 20, or suitably geared tosaid arbor, is a fiber disk 27 which carries electric contacts 28arranged to engage the contacts 19 and also having contact projections29 arranged to engage the contacts 8, 9 when the said disk 27 is in linewith these contacts. The dial 230 of the clock is outermost so that itfaces the gunner when the plug 21 is removed.

When the shell is loaded the clock 20 is left out. Just prior to firingthe shell, the clock is inserted and held by the plug 21 which isscrewed up tight for that purpose. At that time the hour and minute isnoted by the gunner who will know the range and how the clock should beset so that the contacts 28, 29 will engage the contacts 19, 8, 9 at thetime the shell is to explode. The future time for explosion of the shellcan be set from one hour to twenty-four hours or longer, or any periodless than an hour. The shell having been fired from the gun, when itstrikes the object it will not explode unless the time set by the gunnerhas elapsed. but it will explode at the time the contacts engage. Whenthe contacts engage, the batthrough platinum wire 15*, whereupon thetery will send a spark to the points 15 and wire 15 will become hot andthe cap it will be fired and the charge 5 will explode.

As my shell will not explode by contact and Will penetrate and embeditself, it possesses the greater advantage of exploding at any desiredtime after penetration. While the shell can be used in guns of smallcaliber, it is particularly useful in guns of large caliber such as areused on battleships.

lt is within the scope of the invention to provide a time-mechanismwhich is installed when the shell is made and remains in position,instead of being inserted just prior fofiring from the gun.

Having thus described my invention, what i claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is in explosive time-shell provided with acharge, an electric generator, means deriving its current from theelectric generator adapted for exploding the charge, and aself-contained time-mechanism. adapted to be applied to the shell justbefore insertion in the gun, said shell having means adapted to completethe circuit from the generator to the exploding means, saidtime-mechanism' constituting a self-contained, primary, and sole meansfor controlling exploding means.

Lin explosive time-shell provided Wi 1 a charge. an electric generator,means tor exploding the charge by current derived trom said electricgenerator, and selfoir rained time-mecl'ianisin adapted to be applied tothe shell by the gunner which has means adapted cause completion of thecircuit from the generator to the exploding means at a predeterminedtime, said time mechanism constituting a self-contained, primary, and.sole means for controlling the exploding means.

3. in explosive time-shell provided with a body having a. charge holdingchamber in its forward portion, another chamber in its rear portion,said chambers being separated by a partition or Wall, a hollow nosetachcd to the body and provided with a charge holding chamber whichconstitutes a continuation of the chamber in. the body, means forexploding'the charge, an electric battery contained in the rear chamber,and a sch-contained time-mechanism, insertible at will in the rearchamber, contact devices whose engagement is controlled by thetimemechanism, and electric connections leading to the exploding means,Whose circuit is controlled by the timc'mechanism, said time mechanismconstituting a self-contained, primary, and sole means for controllingthe exploding means.

t. .in explosive shell provided with a body having a charge holdingchamber in its forward portion, another chamber in its rear portion,said chambers being separated by a partition or wall, a hollow noseattached to the body and provided with a charge holding chamber whichconstitutes a continuation of the chamber in the body, means forexploding the charge, an electric battery contained within the rearchamber, contacts or terminals for said battery, circuit connectionsleading to the exploding means aforesaid which have contacts arranged inthe region of the contacts of the battery, a timc-mechanisn'i havingcontact means adapted to engage all 01 the contacts aforesaid when saidtime-mechanism has placed its contacts in a predetermined position, andmeans for remowably holding the lime-mechanism in position. whereby itmay be applied to the shell after the latter has been charged,

An explosive shell having a body provided W th a chamber in its forwardportion, another chamber in its rearward portion, a partition or webseparating said chambers, a hollow nose having a screw-threaded e31-gagement with the body, a charge contain d within said nose and thechamber in a forward portion of the body, an annular electric batterycontained Within the chamber in the rearward portion of the body, a capfor exploding the charge, terminals leading to the cap which extendthrough the partition and are provided with. contacts, terminals for thebattery, an annular plug screwed into the rearward portion of? the bodywhich ho ds the battery in position, a removable time-mechanism locat dwithin the annular plug and provided With a rotary member havingcontacts a-dapt c engage the tern'iinals of the battery ans 5' othercontacts when said rotary member in predetermined position, and aremovable plug screwed into the plug first-named which holds thetime-mechanism removably in position and adapts the tin'ie-mecha-nism tobe placed in the annular plug after the shell has been loaded.

In testimony whereof li hereunto my signature.

VVl-LLIAM

